Adams Canyon Trail Waterfall Hike - Dog Friendly Hike in Layton, Utah

Adams Canyon Trail

Hike to Adam's Waterfall 

Dog Friendly Hike

Layton, Utah

The Facts:

Distance:  4 miles round trip

Dogs?:  Yes, Dog Friendly 

Elevation:  1,500' 

Level:  Intermediate to hard, a lot of rock scrambling 

Trail type:  Starts off with sandy switchbacks, 

and about .8 miles in follows the stream in a shaded area.  

Caution:  The sand can be really hot for the first part so be careful with your dogs paws.  Also, the trail gets a little rocky and steep in parts. 

Summer is a little tough in Utah for a black lab.  The sun is so strong, and a lot of the water hikes in Utah are not dog friendly (watersheds!).  I was really excited to hear that the Adams Fall hike was dog friendly, had water almost the entire way, and shade.

Getting There: 

  

Things have changed since I last completed this hike in 2015. My fellow adventure blogger and friend Alicia over at Girl On A Hike provided these updated trailhead directions. 

"From Salt Lake City, drive north on I-15, and take exit 394 to merge onto Us-89 North. After exiting, drive 6.2-miles and take exit 109. Turn right at the top of the ramp and then an immediate left. The trailhead parking is on both sides of N Eastdrive Dr E."

The trail head is not marked (at all) but it is at the top corner of the dirt parking lot.  Look for the path between the wooded area and the fence.  There is a post that seemed to have some signage and maps at one point. 

The important thing to note (if hiking with dogs) is that the first 0.8 miles is on a sandy trail with switchbacks.  On a sunny day, this sand gets very hot very quickly.  If you are bringing your dog, do this hike on an overcast day, or bring along some booties to protect their paws from the hot hot sand.  

Olive has a pair of winter booties to protect her paws from the road salt.  Also worked really well for the hot sand.  Really thankful I had these! 

While the switchbacks are a little brutal, steep in hot sand with no shade, the views are fantastic and worth the effort. 

There is some damage in some parts of the trail so keep your eyes open and pay attention for the large ditches along the trail in the first mile.  

Finally, after about 0.8 miles, almost a mile in, you will head the wooded shady trail that follows the river.  This is a great spot to stop for water with your dog and pull off the booties.  Make sure you don't go over the bridge and keep following the trail up the river. 

The rest of the hike is all shade with water access for the dogs.  The stream is absolutely beautiful it is really nice to not have to carry all that water for the dogs.  

I had a lot of fun playing around with my DLSR, to blur the water and take great pictures of the stream.  A post on that later!

You pass a mini waterfall on your way up, this is a great spot for you and your pooch to cool down. From here up, the trail will be very rocky and steep, so you might have to do a little bit of scrambling to get to the falls. 

Finally at exactly 2.0 miles you make it to the waterfall.  This gorgeous waterfall spills into a shallow pool, perfect for the dogs to splash around and play.  

There is also a cove area where you can enjoy lunch and catch your breath, enjoying the view, the cool breeze, and the mist from the falls. 

Another beautiful Utah hike.  Gorgeous waterfall included.  Olive had a blast playing in the stream and hiking on this trail.